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maybe its been discussed many times before but i just had a random thought on my mind on my way driving to work.


if aftermarket parts are illegal (such as: intake, exhaust, pipes, mufflers, etc), why does the U.S market still have it available for sale in all 50 states? some states dont have emissions and all that strict rules, however im directing to California mainly.

i guess they keep it for the ecomony? if they really cared about emissions, im sure the government or the officals would've stepped in and said "hey, if we really wanted to stop people for emissions, a solution would be to ban these products". just like what they did to CATZ hid kits. but instead they let people buy them still so it can keep the economy at a pace and raises even more when an officer cites drivers for these "illegal" modifications. there goes court fees, fines, and other funds from a single "illegal" modification citation.

IMO, i consider this morally wrong if its true. shows its about the "money" more than "people's safety/own good". these are just my opinions and assumptions. if i stand wrong, feel free to correct me


discuss.

 
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what mods are left? cosmetic mods..... ICE....... I guess things non-performance oriented.

 
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who said they are illegal? only the illegal mods are the illegal ones. my aem v2 and dc sports header are legal...but the hks-a downpipe i have isn't.

i agree with you though..why let companies sell the illegal products if they're going to cite us for them anyways - for the MONEY. its like we can buy 'em but not use 'em..and if we get caught using them it costs us more money

offtopic - it pisses me off that the gov gave 5mil to a anti racer task force (dont know the real name) but took away 1.8mil from an education program that my mom happens to work for. i don't understand how their importance is weighed. anti-racing>education?

 
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so the kids get more ignorant and when they get cars like neons, they'd think it'd be cool to put intakes and huge wings. then the government can give them tickets to them for having illegal things put on their cars

 
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I agree ...

 
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i troll around other car forums like bayareatuners.com and sro.org. people have still gotten cited for intakes that do have a carb sticker attached on the pipe in california. why would you think the officer cited them for it still?...court fees? follow-up on there quota? who knows


a situation like this:
officer = win
court = win
economy = win
driver = lose


yeah, of coruse you can fix it by throwing on the factory parts. but just knowing that you had a legal part and was still hassled with it makes it disturbing. im sure some of you know what it feels like to get a fix-it ticket for something you shouldnt have been cited for.

time is money as well

 
Rep Power: 436

not everyone mods their daily driver. think about it. these big companies are aiming their products to the "street racer" crowd - mostly young teenaged car owners/users that want to "go fast." however, there is the true racing crowd that tracks their cars at a legally sanctioned event (drag strip, track, auto-x, etc) and modify their cars for race/off-public-road use. that is probably why these companies are allowed to continue business

 
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not all mods are illegal my HKS hi-power is 50state legal and stays under the decibel limit..

 
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i did not know that

 
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i know how we all hate altezzas, but weren't altezzas targeted back in the day? people were ticketed for them (particularly in cali if i remember correctly), but went to court with the proper documents showing that they were DOT approved (at least tyc lights. dunno about the generic ones). the result of which, now everyone and their mommas have them. i think if you were to go to court with the proper documentation showing the product was tested and approved, you'd be able to beat the ticket. while it's a big hassle, it would give a big f.u. to the cop who probably gave you the ticket cause he wanted to be a **** or he was just ignorant.

and in regards to the larger question, why it's allowed to go on, it's about the money, and also, a poorly led government. (probably about to make enemies with that one, but oh well. these are just my opinions and i'm not going to argue ad nauseum over the internet. just what i feel, so please...no hate mail) there was a short article in time a few weeks ago saying that partypoker and other online gambling places definitely violate at least 3 wire transfer statutes. or something like that. i forget the exact terminology. but they won't stop it because A. most of them are hosted in other countries and B. flat out, it's worth a lot of money. in regards to the government, they pick their battles. if you guys are bored (like i obviously am) you should check out the july issue of GQ (the one with jessica simpson on the cover) it talks about how congress has been doing. last year's house spent less time in session (even with our multitude of problems) since 1950. they spend 33 days talking about janet jackson's breast, and 19 days on education policy. a result of which the policy was TEN BILLION dollars short. causing people like manthatguyfast's mom to lose her job and kids to think having stripes, wiper lights, and neon on your 95 grand am is cool. cars and their parts are just too large of an industry for their to be a big crackdown. kids have been putting parts on their cars, legal or illegal since wayyyyy back in the day. and they're in congress now, so they don't give a fck. it's about picking flashy **** like ethics in sports instead of ethics within the house.

 
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Well, in E.U. all aftermaker part must have a certificat that they are street legal, so when a cop stop you and "thinks" something is ilegal, you must show hit the paper on this parts (you get a paper with your car in witch all mods are whritten in). So buying US part in europe is not legal, and that sucks + we have to pay to get aftermarket parts whritten in this document !!!!